Environment-Friendly Aircraft Paint Strippers

Paints protect aircraft from harsh weather conditions and need to be reapplied from time to time. But removing paint from old aircraft can be tricky because there are several coats involved and it is strong enough to endure severe weather changes for years. Conventional chemical compositions that have been used in the past are too toxic and dangerous for the workers and environment. Industrial paint strippers today need to comply with the U.S. EPA rules on emission.

Industrial grade paint strippers are used not only for aircraft but also for military vehicles, ships, trains, buses, buildings, graffiti and more. They need to be non-toxic, environment friendly and biodegradable. Toxic compositions in the past included methylene chloride, formic acid or carbonic acid among others.

Good paint strippers are the ones which can be applied to several kinds of surfaces without causing any damage to the underlying surface. They should work on metallic surfaces like aluminum, cadmium, magnesium, steel, titanium, and zinc and other surfaces like fiber glass, ceramic, cement, concrete, plaster, stone, wood, mason, brick and Proseal.

Water-borne aircraft paint stripper is a new technology that does away with dangerous chemical based ones. It is non-acidic, non-flammable and environment friendly. It does not cause hydrogen embrittlement and does not pollute the air. It is very effective in removing Proseal, the aircraft adhesive.

Starch is a very good aircraft paint stripper that is environmentally benign. Abrasive wheat starch particles are propelled by compressed air to remove the paint. The operation is safe enough to be conducted in open maintenance workspaces and aircraft hangars. Starch blasting works on both aluminum and composites. An advantage of this method is that it can remove both paint and primer at one go. Other methods rely on selective stripping - a difficult process.

Another alternative to toxic chemical strippers is plastic media blasting. Unlike sand or abrasive blasting that can potentially ruin sheet metal beyond repair, plastic medial blasting uses low air pressure and non-abrasive techniques. It is capable enough of removing paint, undercoating, old plastic fillers and literally blowing off heavy rust. It is a safe, quick and economical way of removing aircraft paint.

Some other methods of aircraft paint stripping are:

* High pressure water blasting
* Water blasting with chemical paint softeners
* Ice pellet blasting using carbon dioxide (with and without chemical paint softeners)
* Thermal paint stripping
* Wet media blasting (using sodium bicarbonate)
* Chemical paint stripping

Most chemical paint strippers are designed to be applied using sprays or brush. They need to be approved by EPA standards for safety of the workers and environment.
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